Legends lofts balloons to show height of new building

Vernon — Just after dawn last Friday, the Metairie Corp., owner of Legends hotel, lofted a series of small red balloons to show how tall the proposed new north wing of the building would stand. The new wing will be the same height as the existing penthouse. Directing the project was civil engineer David B. Keller of Paul, Sokolowski and Sartor, LLC of Warren, N.J. Longtime Legends building engineer Dave Tassey and Vernon Councilman Austin Carew came as observers. “People come to Vernon for a certain experience,” said Carew, as he watched the balloons rise. “We definitely want to see Legends renovated in a way that keeps Vernon’s rural feeling intact.” Carew said he could envision a medical facility and apartments for seniors in the renovated hotel, as well as the indoor water park and hotel proposed by Metairie. Following the balloon test, Al Warrington, operating officer for Metairie Corp., led the Advertiser-News on a tour of the sixth floor of Legends, where new leaf-patterned carpeting had been installed in the long corridor and the suites had been completely renovated. Warrington also showed the common areas on the ground floor where the 1970s pebble walls were being masked with Sheetrock for a “warmer and more contemporary look.” A renovated game room also was in place. “This is going to be a world-class building, more beautiful than anything else in this town,” Warrington said. He also said that the many fire code violations had been corrected. Tom Collins, lawyer and planner for Metairie, presented a slide show to the Township Council on Monday evening, and urged them to make haste in approving the redevelopment ordinance that would allow Metairie to bring a formal site plan to the planning board for approval. But Mayor Janet Morrison said there would be no time between now and the end of the year to vote on the ordinance. The meeting on Dec. 10 is the last council meeting in 2007. Township Manager Melinda Carlton said that she and Township Planner Fred Suljic hadn’t had time to review the most recent revisions to the redevelopment ordinance for Legends. In addition, Deputy Mayor Neil Desmond said he thought it would be “overly aggressive” to expect to pass the ordinance in January. Legends is notorious as Playboy’s Hugh Heffner folly. Built in 1971, it eventually was sold to the American Hotel Chain. In 1998, it became the Seasons Resort and Conference Center, and then was sold to the Metairie Corp., a Louisiana investment group. During its heyday as the Playboy Club, Tassey said, Legends was about 75 percent full most of the time and had a popular comedy club, several restaurants, and various shops, including a hairdressing salon.